Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silent Patient, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Empathy, Identification, and Boundaries
Tragedy and Destiny
Honesty vs. Deception
Childhood Trauma
Silence vs. “The Talking Cure”
Summary
Analysis
That night, instead of snow, there is a thunderstorm. Before Theo leaves the Grove, he has one final session with Alicia. He expresses his sympathy that she is in seclusion, but he also tells her he wishes she had tried harder in their therapy. Wordlessly, Alicia hands Theo her diary, which is chaotic and filled with doodles. Filled with excitement, Theo prepares to read it.
This short chapter is packed with symbolic meaning. Alicia’s decision to give Theo her diary can be seen as an extension of her choice to paint: though she cannot open her mouth to speak, she will continue to find other ways to communicate. But while the diary hand-off might seem to be good news, the continued absence of snow is foreboding: since snow is associated with Theo’s attempts to find happiness, the fact that thunder comes instead suggests that nothing good is in store.
Themes
